First of all, who said that the Crossfire was unpopular or a poor seller? By any measure, the Crossfire was a success. People who own them love them. Chrysler sold quite a few of them. So what WAS the problem? Simple:

Chrysler made too damn many of them, creating a surplus - artificially deflating demand. Chrysler made over 75,000 of these cars over 3.5 years. If they kept it to 10,000-12,500 units a year (like the S2000), they would never have had the firesale issues they did.

So, I'd say mostly it was incompetent marketing and management.

 

We own 2 roadsters currently. I think one of the XF's best features is the automatic roof (roadsters) like the SLK. It adds a TON of value in it for me. It kind of moves it from the class of the old miata to the xlr or slk class in my oppinion.

Stephen

 

Funny how you mention Porsche to Crossfire. I have 3 customers that did just that. Also one went from a viper to a SRT6, ferrari to limited roadster, and a lot of the others are similar sports cars to the crossfire.

The biggest reason people that owned some expensive cars and went to this, is that they felt it was more of a scaled down DD exotic. You get all the excitement of being unique and none of the crazy prices or headaches of a super car. For the price these are going for now, you just can't beat it. Unfortunately, I paid sticker for mine back in 05, but it's been worth it.

 

I have just owned mine a couple of weeks so far, but it seems like an INCREDIBLE bargain to me so far. I paid in the low 20's for my used 2005 SRT6 roadster with less than 14,000 miles, and which was owned and maintained by a gentleman who was a european car mechanic who owned his own shop. The car is meticulous.

Where else can someone buy a near new car that performs anywhere even close to this one for this kind of money? A Mercedes with an AMG, hand-built engine that handles like a super car? That will do 0-60 in under 5 seconds, but will do 60-100 in what seems like a split second! With the top down!

I read a lot of reviews before I bought the car, and most said that it was a very impressive performer that was very well made. But, they also point out a lot of negatives such as ride quality; less than perfect steering; and a lack of many amenities. Well, I gotta tell you- I think the ride quality is great for a 2 seat sportster; the steering and handling is unlike anything I've ever experienced; and the speed and responsiveness make up for the lack of amenities.

For those that say that the car is ugly, well, to quote from Dude Lebowski: "that's just like your opinion, man". I think the look is completely unique and very cool.

To take it a step further, the fuel mileage is unreal! I can drive 80mph with the top down and get 24mph!

Put me down for WELL worth it!

 

I CAREFULLY make sure I can open the door as wide as possible, hold my breath and tuck and roll!

 

Sorry-this was my reply to Darticus.

 

I don't know how you get 24 mpg! I only get 11 mpg at 130 mph.

 

ENJOY the ride. It's winter here with temps in the 40's at night when I go into work. I still put the top down, roll up the side window, CRANK Up the heater....and fly into work at 70+. Love this car !!! I've got the Roadster as well. Base unit...but still kicks butt !!

 

I guess I'm the exception to your theory that many PORCH owners are all selling their cars and coming over to Crossfires. I turned in my 05 Ltd. Roadster off lease and bought an 06 PORCH Boxster with 3,900 miles. I absolutely love it. I also loved/still love my Crossfire. The ONLY reason I'm not still driving it/one is mine was black (my first black car) and I didn't want to keep that color long term and my salesman was an ***hole and didn't find me another with 6 months notice before mine had to go back. By the time he got off his butt to look all the 6 speeds were gone (my first was an auto) and I was settling on color. The PORCH is an amazing little sports car. I love the manual tranny and everything else that comes along with owning a PORCH like the 1,800 members of the Metro NY PCA, the constant events that go on year round in my area surrounding the make, the tons of mods and products available for my car and the history and respect the brand commands among other makes and models. The Crossfire is an amazing all around sporty car thats built better than most any car I've ever owned. I love the uniqueness of the car and think long term it will be quite collectable. It deserved much better than the treatment and marketing Chrysler gave it and the market disrespect it got. But that is to all of us Crossfire owners/enthusiasts advantage. If garage space ever permitted I'd buy another in a heartbeat especially at their going market rates. They're a steal and one of the best and most beautiful automobiles on the road. Its a great car. You shouldn't have to disrespect another brand to feel better about what you're driving. We're all car entusiasts, can't we all just get along? A happy PORCH/Crossfire owner.

 

I am not knocking Porsche owners or the cars, because they are fantastic, and I can appreciate someone who has experience on both sides of the fence, but...

The reason you have 1,800 members around you and all those parts for your car is because they are more common - point blank. I am not saying it is a camry, but Porsche sells almost 100K cars a year worldwide and we all know the limited production numbers of the XF. Some see this as a problem with parts and service, I see it as I have a car more rare than most and people ask me several times a week what kind of car that beautiful black coupe is and I proudly say - it is a Crossfire.

Glad you had the opportunity to own both, you are a lucky man.

 

I just got my '05 SRT roadster thsi past Saturday; stumbled across it while surfing for a convertible, looked at it and bought it that day.
I was "familiar" but not knowledgeable about the Xfires and liked the look, but hadn't seen a convertible before. After a little research (after I bought it) I was stunned to see that it had the AMG drivetrain - I had been looking at the S55 and E63's as a replacement for my S model, but couldn't find anything that really caught my eye.
Needless to say, the SRT6 did - now if only I can get the spare key away from my wife,,,,,

KevinL
NoVa